Can you imagine Barwon Heads in the future?

Barwon Heads is under threat from the impacts of sea level rise.

Coastal communities like Barwon Heads are at the forefront of climate change in Australia. No-one knows exactly what this might mean but there are strong indications that future changes could include:

Extreme weather events
Rising sea levels
Hotter, drier summers
Warmer, wetter winters.

The Our Coast Project has recently completed the Geelong-Queenscliffe Coastal Mapping Project, identifying areas that may experience impacts from sea level rise. The research involved a technical assessment by consultants from Cardno, looking at issues including catchment inundation and storm surge. The assessment includes a series of maps showing the potential impact of sea level rise scenarios and severe weather events. The areas at threat from inundation in Barwon Heads are highlighted in the maps below.

Get involved

A recent open house event in Ocean Grove that included Breamlea and Barwon Heads in August attracted little interest from the community. Whilst this was disappointing you still have the opportunity to be involved, find out more or provide your views. There is an in an online feedback form, or you can leave a comment on the Our Coast website's Contact Us page. We're interested in your feedback and ideas for how we can plan to adapt to a changing climate together.

Leigh Dennis, the Our Coast Program Manager provided a presentation to the Barwon Heads Association. A presentation was also provided to the Barwon Heads Estuary Group. Leigh's presentation is available here.